A variety of tools and techniques can be used as part of Lean thinking to help you to improve processes.

In school, you may have learned about the 5 W’s and the H of good reporting:

• Who?
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Why?
• How?

This framework is often used in Lean to gather information, with the addition of another H: How much?

Genchi Genbutsu and Gemba

Getting Involved in the Work

One key Lean principle is Genchi Genbutsu, which translates to “go and see for yourself.” This concept is closely related to Gemba, meaning “the place where the action occurs.” Lean promotes the idea that upper management should engage directly in daily operations and get hands-on experience.

Many Japanese companies, such as Honda, Nikon, and Toyota, have their upper management work on the shop floor as part of their training.

The Three-Foot Circle

Taiichi Ohno, the founder of the Toyota Production System, employed various techniques involving Genchi Genbutsu. One notable method was the three-foot circle. If an engineer proposed an improvement for the production line, Ohno would take them to the production floor, draw a circle with a few feet in diameter, and have the engineer observe the process from within that circle for several hours.

Only after this observation, if the engineer still believed the idea was viable, would they begin planning for its implementation.